News of: Thursday, 22nd of April, 2010

Front Page

With election campaigns scheduled to end at midnight today, BNP has raised a demand for deferring the Bhola-3 by-poll by a week, while its rival ruling Awami League is alleging that BNP has been conspiring to foil the poll.

The Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday sued four ship-breaking yards in Chittagong for causing pollution just days after the commerce ministry decided to allow dismantling vessels built with toxic substances.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday laid the foundation stone for construction of flats at Uttara Model Town formally kicking off a Rajuk plan to build 52,500 flats for lower and lower middle-income people under three massive projects.

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain yesterday refused to submit documents of a development work of the railway department before a parliamentary standing committee meeting challenging the committee's jurisdiction.

Accusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of discrimination, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati yesterday claimed in the Supreme Court that the disproportionate assets case filed against her was 'baseless, unfounded and illegal'.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has denied its involvement in the recent terror strikes across the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and instead blamed the controversial private security firm-Blackwater for the bloodshed.

The government yesterday launched a Tk 26 crore stimulus package for marginal farmers to boost the upcoming Aus production and recover the losses in Boro season due to recent flash floods in some districts.

US Deputy Secretary of State James B Steinberg will arrive here today on a brief visit to discuss a range of important bilateral and multilateral issues with high government and opposition leaders and business, civil society and opinion leaders.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said many countries around the world have many things to learn from Bangladesh for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the country has made remarkable progress in different fields.

Editorial

THE news that BCL activities set a CU teachers' bus on fire to press home their five-point demand is alarming, to say the least. The BCL appears to have decided to clinch everything through applying brute force even if it comes to their own teachers.

THE directive of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Land Ministry on reclaiming the canals of the city now under the occupation of different individuals and organisations couldn't have come a day later. It is a natural extension of the earlier action by the government against river grabbers.

Sports

In front of a capacity crowd, Rajshahi Rangers put up a clinical display to emerge champions of the Destiny Group National Cricket League T20s with a six-wicket victory over the Kings of Khulna in an entertaining final at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Sweltering heat be damned. The lure of the day-night NCL T20s final between Shakib Al Hasan's Kings of Khulna and fellow underdogs Rajshahi Rangers brought the spectators swarming to the home of cricket.

Rajshahi Rangers captain Khaled Mashud predictably pointed out his team's commitment and spirit as the decisive factor but said he preferred Khulna to Dhaka as finals' opponents of the Destiny Group National Cricket League T20s.

The prospects of Lalit Modi remaining IPL chairman and commissioner appeared to recede on Wednesday with the BCCI talking tough on action over the allegations against him, while the federal intelligence agencies widened their investigations to include the IPL TV rights holders.

1. Mohammad Rafique bowled four maiden overs in the tournament, from the six matches he's played. The 42-year-old left-arm spinner is also the most economical bowler, giving away a miserly 4.48 runs per over.

Kieron Pollard's all-round show helped Mumbai Indians to beat Bangalore Royal Challengers by 35 runs in the first semifinal of the Indian Premier League at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai yesterday.

Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli has been criticised by his teammates after throwing his shirt to the ground at the end of his team's 3-1 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal.

BKSP U-19s won their third consecutive match in Pakistan when they beat Customs Cricket Academy of Pakistan by 2 runs at the Vital Five Club DHA Ground, Karachi, yesterday. The Customs Cricket Academy consisted Pakistan's first class players.

Former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail has hit out at PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, over the controversy surrounding the selection of replacements for the World Twenty20 tournament. First-choice players Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat were ruled out with injuries at the eleventh hour, following which Butt rejected the selection committee and team management's choice for one of the two replacements.

The prospects of Lalit Modi remaining IPL chairman and commissioner appeared to recede on Wednesday with the BCCI talking tough on action over the allegations against him, while the federal intelligence agencies widened their investigations to include the IPL TV rights holders.

Nilphamari beat Barisal by 14 in their clash of the 30th Inter-District Cricket Championship at the Jessore venue yesterday. In another match at Mymensingh, Dhaka comfortably won against Comilla by 40 runs.

Cricketers have superstitions like not leaving their seats at critical junctures in the match or always wearing the lucky gear or shoes, but an astrological advice took Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all the way from Dharamsala to Mumbai via Chennai for their semifinal in the Indian Premier League.

Business leaders in Rajshahi urged Tuesday the government to make separate industrial policy for North Bengal and establish a special economic zone in the district to ensure the country's balanced development.

The manifest brand of the present government is 'digital Bangladesh'. The other moniker 'din bodoler sarker' has contended for currency but has faded in the background, while 'digital Bangladesh' branding surged ahead. Everything the government tries to do is labelled 'digital'. Sometimes it is misleading as in 'digital time' epithet assigned to the daylight savings time introduced last year and sometimes it is unflattering as in 'digital darkness' attributed to the intolerable power outages due to yawning gaps between power demand and generation. However, on the technological plane, 'digital Bangladesh' is the defining phrase characterising the changes for a better life for all and on the demographic plane the phrase delineates the dreams and aspirations of the young generation -- the boys and girls who have just become adults and who exercised franchise rights for the first time in the last parliamentary election.

BANGLADESH INDUSTRIAL FIN COThe company's Board of Directors recommended 22.5 percent stock dividend for 2009. The AGM will be held on May 19 (at 10:30am) at Officers Club in Dhaka. The record date is May 3. The board also reported earnings per share of Tk 34.34, net asset value per share of Tk 153 and net operating cash flow per share of Tk 8.95, as of December 31, 2009. There is no price limit on the trading of shares today, following its corporate declaration.

The yield on Greek 10-year bonds soared above 8.0 percent on Wednesday, the highest level since Greece joined the eurozone, increasing pressure further on the Greek government to seek help from the EU and IMF.

The government has a plan to increase the electricity generation to 9426 MW by 2015 through implementing a short, medium, and long-term projects, State Minister for Energy and Power Md Enamul Haque said yesterday.

A Dhaka court yesterday asked Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit by May 19 the probe report of a case filed in connection with the carnage at Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Pilkhana in February last year.

The High Court (HC) will pass orders on April 25 on two writ petitions that sought directions from the court upon the government to allow the candidates with disabilities to sit for Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) and Bangladesh Judicial Service (BJS) examinations.

A Dhaka court yesterday granted bail to Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque in a defamation case filed against him for making derogatory remarks about the prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

The mathematics students of Eden Girls' College and Dhaka College blocked the Azimpur-Mirpur road yesterday protesting what they claimed 'inclusion of questions in the examinations from out of the syllabus'.

A Chittagong court yesterday granted bail to BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury in a sedition case filed against him for making derogatory comments about August 15 and the historic verdict in Bangabandhu murder case.

National

Hundreds of marginal potato growers of Dinajpur Sadar upazila yesterday demanded compensation as thousands of sacks of potatoes they kept in a cold storage at Gopalganj village under the upazila have rotten due to alleged negligence of the cold storage authorities.

Police yesterday submitted charge sheet against 12 people, mostly leaders and workers of Awami League and its front organisations, in a case filed for creating anarchy over Tk 14 crore tender of district Public Works Department.

Rab arrested a 'regional leader' of outlawed Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party from Mridhar More (intersection) area under Chhilar Char union of Sadar upazila yesterday and recovered arms from his possession.

A man was killed and four others were injured in an attack by their rivals at Kulibari village in Muradnagar upazila on Tuesday night. The deceased was identified as Jahangir, 32, son of Kanu Miah of the village. Police recovered the body yesterday morning and sent it to Comilla Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Injured Kanu Miah, 60, his brother Monu Miah, 55, Jomila Khatun, 45, and Abu Miah, 25, were admitted to the same hospital. Locals said Kanu Miah's family members quarreled with neighbour Safar Ali's family over a trifling matter on Monday. As a sequel to the incident, Safar Ali and his men equipped with lethal weapons attacked Kanu's family on Tuesday night leaving Jahangir dead on the spot and four others seriously injured.

Patuakhali Sadar police Tuesday night arrested five alleged killers of Mamun, a youth of Bahalgachia area in the town. A team of Patuakhali police rounded them up from different villages under Sadar upazila. The arrestees are Mosharef, 20, Monir, 25, of Atoshkhali village, Jihan, 26, Habib, 28, of Bhuria village and Solaiman Howlader, 35, of Lohalia village. Police also recovered the motorbike of Mamun from a pond of Solaiman Howlader. According to their confession, Mamun was killed on December 25 in 2009 following a quarrel over excess rent of motorbike. Police recovered his body from Atoshkhali village on December 31. Mamun was driving the motorbike hired from the alleged killers.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police arrested five people, including two women, for allegedly grabbing a shrimp enclosure at Burirdanga village in Mongla upazila on Tuesday. The arrestees are Afsar Fakir, 45, Moksed Fakir, 35, Mazid Sarkar, 55, Laila Begum, 28, and Sharifa Begum, 30, of the village. Police said Bhobananda Dhali has been producing shrimps on his 25 bigas of land since long. Afsar Fakir with his 25/30 men grabbed the shrimp enclosure early in the morning and started catching shrimps. On information, Rab personnel and police along with local UNO rushed in and arrested the five. Bhobananda Dhali filed a case against 15 people in this connection.

Rab on Tuesday arrested three criminals from Boraigram in the district and recovered a foreign made revolver and seven bullets. The arrestees are Abul Hossain, 23 of Daipara village in Boraigram upazila, Zahurul Islam, 28 of Manikpur village and Felu, 22 of Upashahar. According to Rab, a team of Rab-5 challenged three youths who were standing in front of Farhad's tea stall at Rolva Bazar in the upazila at around 11.30 pm. As the youths tried to flee the Rab members chased them. After catching them the Rab members searched their bodies and found the arms.

A joint team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and local administration unearthed a fake cosmetics factory at Nungola under Rahanpur municipal area of Gomostapur upazila in Chapainawabganj yesterday. During a raid the team seized 1.5 tonnes of different types of cosmetics and raw materials from Panna Chemical Works. Later they destroyed those and fined Mohammad Ali, owner of Panna Chemical Works Tk 35,000. BSTI also lodged a case against Mohammad Ali with Gomostapur police station.

International

Amidst the rising demand for former President General Pervez Musharraf's prosecution following the UN enquiry commission's report over former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination, Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar has said that the 'autocratic' ruler may quizzed in the case.

President Mahinda Rajapakse's ruling party increased its parliamentary gains yesterday after new voting in Sri Lanka's elections, but fell short of the two-thirds majority it had sought to make constitutional changes.

The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) appears to have vertically split with its elusive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah sidelining the other top leaders, most of whom are either in jail or out on bail, over the peace process.

Europe's airspace reopened for business as Iceland's volcano lost its fury yesterday, leaving passengers scrambling to get a flight home and airlines to count the 1.7 billion dollar cost of the crisis.

Poland's parliament speaker yesterday set June 20 as the date for an early presidential election after the death of President Lech Kaczynski in a plane crash, kicking off an election season overshadowed by the tragedy.

Arts & Entertainment

On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts has arranged a series of ten exhibitions. The first group art exhibition titled “Rooted Creativity”, featuring the works of ten senior painters of Bangladesh, is now on at the Bengal Gallery, Dhanmondi in Dhaka. Featured painters are Shafiuddin Ahmed, Mohammad Kibria, Qayyum Chowdhury, Murtaja Baseer, Syed Jahangir, Hashem Khan, Rafiqun Nabi, Monirul Islam, Mahmudul Haque and Shahabuddin Ahmed.

Runa Laila's fame exceeds the borders of Bangladesh. Born in a family that nurtured her love for music, she made her singing debut at the age of six. She first sang for an Urdu film at the age of eleven. By her teens, she had a large fan following, not only for the powerful voice she possessed but also for the charisma, the grace and the appeal that was her signature.

Several thousand people and freedom fighters paid homage to the martyrs at Shahidnagar memorial, recalling the tragic Shahidnagar massacre day (also known as Dab Bagan genocide) on April 19. The speakers demanded the punishment of the war criminals and vowed to uphold the spirit of the Liberation War. The freedom fighters also observed daylong programmes at Shahidnagar village, Santhia upazila, Pabna district.

Centre for Asian Theatre (CAT) staged it's latest production "The Communicator" on April 20 at the National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy as part of the ITI Theatre Festival. Directed by Kamaluddin Nilu, the play highlights contemporary global crises and relates them to Ibsen's omnipresence in society through depicting the master playwright in an innovative way.

As part of ongoing ITI Theatre Festival, theatre troupe Prachyanat staged its 14th production "Raja…Ebong Onnano" (King of the Dark Chamber...and Others) on April 20 at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Directed by Azad Abul Kalam, the production is a contemporary, experimental presentation of the classic Tagore play "Raja" (1910).

Single-episode TV play, "Shomporker Dana" will be aired on Desh TV tonight at 9:45pm. Written and directed by Wahid Tarek, the play features Dilara Zaman, Jaya Ahsan and Intekhab Dinar in central roles.

AS one sees developments in Pakistan and Iran today, it is sad to note the inability of Pakistan to get out of its mindset and attitude relating to Iran formulated in the recent past, despite a highly altered environment that came into being post-9/11. The result is that Pakistan is unable or unwilling to take advantage of the new outreach by Iran towards Pakistan -- be it the offer to supply electricity on to the national grid or the IPI pipeline project which may have been inked but still awaits operationalisation. And there are other potential projects that are being ignored, even though Iran, like China, offers viable alternatives of cooperation to the rather costly US relationship. In order to overcome the psychological barriers and hesitancy to act, we need to understand our decision-makers mindsets on this vital issue.

THE first Earth Day, organised in 1970 in the United States, launched the modern environmental movement. Some 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to decry trends toward increased pollution and deterioration, and to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Rising environmental awareness during that period led the US government to establish the Environmental Protection Agency in late 1970, and to enact ground-breaking legislation, the Clean Air Act of 1970 and Clean Water Act of 1972.

I hope the PM and her government pay heed to, and act on, The Daily Star's April 14 editorial "Upazila chairmen's desperate call for empowerment." It is not simply a question of sharing of power and responsibilities between the elected local governments and the national legislators. Functional and independent local governments are indispensable for the development of Bangladesh beyond Dhaka (and other big cities); and they are not only required to meet national priorities but also to save Dhaka from implosion.

THE prime minister has claimed that during the 15-month tenure of her government, 80 percent of the decisions have been implemented and the remainder were under consideration for implementation. Furthermore, the cabinet approved 106 bills during this period, of which 90 have been passed in the Parliament. Such rhetoric only begs the question -- are you deluding yourself madam?

Star Chittagong

Engineers and town planners and architects of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) are divided over the issues of working area and responsibility relating to architectural designing and plan approval.

No progress has been made in investigation into the murder of three Chittagong University (CU) students in two months that not only shocked students or teachers but also puzzled the law enforcement agencies.

Call to strengthen anti-imperialism movementSpeakers at a rally on Sunday urged the people to strengthen anti-imperialism movement being imbued with the spirit of Jubo Bidroho Dibash (Youth Revolt Day).